For some reason, this spot has always haunted me. For years, I have searched in vain for a copy. But now, thanks to the miracle of youTube, it is mine once more.

To this day, I still think my can of peaches is personally selected by a white-suited man in a helicopter. A simple nod from this dapper chap was enough to send entire fields of under-paid fruit farmers into paroxysms of joy. Truly, a powerful, yet graceful, individual

Also, I secretly want to be this man.

So yesterday I posted that the story about about the so-called ‘lost’ Amazon tribe was a hoax. Turns out, the story is true after all, if a little more complicated than originally reported by an over-enthusiastic media.

Survival International, the group behind the original pictures, released a statement today clarifying the whole mess. From Live Science:

“The story is not a hoax, and none of those involved in working to protect these Indians’ rights have ever claimed they were ‘undiscovered.’”

Survival never claimed that the tribe was lost. The story got out of control, says Fiona Watson, Survival’s Brazil expert, as a result of irresponsible reporting.

“Some of the media got very carried away and started talking about undiscovered tribes,” Watson told LiveScience. “There was this interpretation that this was a completely new tribe, completely undiscovered, without bothering to check with sources. Neither the Brazilian government nor Survival has ever used that word, and ‘uncontacted’ means they don’t have any contact with outsiders.”

Survival International’s Web site includes a page about “uncontacted tribes,” here, which states that more than 100 uncontacted tribes are known worldwide, with more than half living in either Brazil or Peru. These tribes, “whilst not ‘lost,’ simply reject contact with the outside world,” according to Survival’s statement today.

So they are ‘known’, but are ‘uncontacted’. An important distinction in a news story that somehow managed to become more complicated than SALT II.

To promote the new Batman flick (and let’s be honest- does it really need promoting?) are pretty clever. It uses a fictional Gotham Tonight TV show to give some backstory and hint at The Dark Knight‘s plot. You can watch it in high quality at the “Gotham Cable News” website. Or, if you don’t like clicking, here’s a lower quality version:

So, ace or joker? Nice bit of foreshadowing there.

A little about me: I am a Bad Religion superfan. I love this band like I love water and oxygen.

Last year, BR put out a great record called New Maps of Hell. And now, because they understand the rampant fanboyism of their listeners, they’re putting out a DELUXE EDITION of NMoH, out on July 8. Seven new acoustic tracks, concert DVD, posters…awesome. You can read an interview with the band about the new release here.

And now, because it rocks, here’s a BR vid- New Dark Ages off NMoH.

Three police officers in Cardiff, Wales claim their helicopter was attacked by a ‘flying saucer-shaped’ object as it waited to land. They then chased the mystery craft over the English Channel, before giving up due to low fuel.

Said a police spokesperson:

“We can confirm the Air Support Unit sighted an unusual aircraft. This was reported to the relevant authorities for their investigation. They are convinced it was a UFO. It sounds far-fetched, but they know what they saw.”

Interesting. While I’m sure something out-of-the-ordinary happened to these folks, I wonder if the UFO conclusion has anything to do with the recent release of 30 years worth of UFO-related documents in the UK. It’s well-documented that high profile UFO events tend to increase the number of sightings. In 1947, Kenneth Arnold launched the modern UFO era with his widely-reported sighting. In the weeks that followed, the number of reported encounters literally exploded.

Who knows? This ranks as a fairly credible report- police officers, expensive public property involved, official statements- and is hard to dismiss as kookery. So what did they see? Any thoughts?

UPDATE: And now, video! Sure is one mysterious glowing blur.

If you’ve got a few spare moments this morning, and aren’t terribly attached to your sanity, then you should check out Neave Television. It’s like having your frontal cortex sucked backwards through a garden hose.

The site’s creator, designer Paul Neave, has compiled a series of bizarro clips which he presents without any kind of context, in rapid succession. The result is baffling. Certainly not the kind of thing you want to watch right when you wake up. Which is exactly what I did.

Anyways, check it out. If ye dare. Via BoingBoing.

Here’s some video of an apparently Lucas-sanctioned (it’s on the official SW blog) Star Wars dance competition:

Despite the cheesiness, I find this video totally awesome. I think it’s the Thriller dance with Darth Vader that clinches it…the little neck moves look a million times better with oversized Imperial helmets. Via Scanner via YesButNoButYes.